Important Messages!

Light Blight Alert!

Late Blight has been reported in Ulster County, NY. Late blight is an invasive species well known for the devastation it caused during the Irish potato famine. All Greene County and Columbia County residents may want to consider starting a fungicide spray program with either a copper product, for organic gardeners, or chlorothalonil. Daconil is the trade name for chlorothalonil. Always follow the label instructions on the product you choose.

This disease pathogen is well known for its ability to produce millions of spores from infected plants under wet conditions. The disease is spread by spores that are airborne. Our weather conditions lately have been humid and wet which will support late blight growth. Tomatoes, potatoes and tomatillos may become infected if a spore lands on a wet leaf or stem. Other plants in the Solanaceae family, including ornamentals like petunias and weeds are also susceptible to infection with late blight. The fungicide must be in place before the spore lands.

Under wet conditions, this disease is capable of wiping out not only your tomato and potato crop but also commercial fields very quickly during wet conditions. For more information about scouting for late blight and control visit www.nyis.info and/or http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties offers free identification services for invasive species. We are also available to answer questions about invasive species including the importance of early detection and rapid response.

CCE Community Survey

As we begin our fourth year as “Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties,” our CCE Board and staff want to make sure we provide the best programs and services for the residents of our community. What better way to find out this information than to ask you directly? Whether you are a current participant in CCE programs or a future participant, your feedback is important to us!

We ask you to take a few moments to complete the brief “2015 CCE Community Program Survey.” We are using an on-line survey tool that will keep this information confidential and all responses are anonymous (unless you want to share your contact information at the end of the survey). The results of the survey will be used to help us develop new programs and services for the residents of our community. To participate in our survey, please go to the following link. Click here to take our survey.

The survey will close on July 31.

Summer Farmers Children's Program

The Summer Farmers Program began this week and the children are having a great time at the Greene Farms in Cornwallville! There is still time to register for the four day program in August. Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (ages 6-11). The cost is $40 per child with scholarships available.

The participants started to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers on an organic farm, then they will eat what they grow with tasty recipes like cool cucumber mint soup, pico de gallo salsa, berry popsicles, garden fresh pizza, and lots more. The program also features investigations into ecology, science & math, and literacy through fun, hands-on learning in the children's garden.